Commitment is an act, not a word.

Posted on 21 June 2012 by philosiblog

Commitment is an act, not a word. Jean-Paul Sartre

Actions, not words. Anyone can say “I do.” How many are willing to commit those words, in ink, on their fingers? May their relationship last as long as the ink will.

What does that mean?
To what are you committed? Really, really committed? The usual answers include your family, your friends, your system of beliefs, your values, even your country or your culture. But how committed are you? Are you committed to the level of “I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country!” or are you somewhat less committed?

Unfortunately, for many, commitment is often more about the talk than about the action. If you think of the people who made a huge difference in the lives of the people of the world (for good or ill), were they just talkers, or were they committed and busy taking action?

Would Mohandas Gandhi be remembered around the world if he was only a talker, but did not do anything? Don’t mistake not doing something with not acting. His path was non-violence, and occasionally, not eating. But both were powerful actions, and were part of what became a new model for revolution with the minimum of bloodshed.

Why is taking action important?  Continue reading →

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If we examine our thoughts, we shall find them always occupied with the past and the future.

Posted on 20 June 2012 by philosiblog

If we examine our thoughts, we shall find them always occupied with the past and the future. – Blaise Pascal

To a baby, everything is in the present. Also, everything is in the mouth. To all of you (and myself as well) I would recommend the former, but not the latter.

What does that mean?
I don’t know about you, but this quote is very true for me. I am either busy learning from past mistakes, or applying those lessons to future plans. Only rarely am I truly in the present, neither reliving the past nor contemplating the future.

This quote is also interesting, as it appears to be a simple observation, without explicit guidance. However, what little Zen I have in me is jumping up and down, waving it’s tiny little arms, shouting “I know the answer!”

The implied guidance is to keep our thoughts somewhere between the past and the future, at least from time to time. The point of the quote, to me, is to remind us that the present exists. It is the only time that is neither past nor future, and it’s where our bodies spend all of their time, even if our minds wander off from time to time.

Why is being present (and in the present) important?  Continue reading →

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Success is not counted by how high you have climbed but by how many people you brought with you.

Posted on 19 June 2012 by philosiblog

Success is not counted by how high you have climbed but by how many people you brought with you. – Dr Wil Rose

Yeah, climbing Mt Kilimanjaro would be great, but it would be even better if you could bring some friends along, wouldn’t it?

What does that mean?
I like quotes that challenge the usual thought process. Many, perhaps most, score how successful a person is based on what the person has managed to accumulate in their life. Dollars, influence, toys, friends, scaling of the heights, or whatever they happen to hold as valuable.

This quote challenges the conventional wisdom regarding the definition of success. This quote says the true measure of success is not in what you have accomplished or what you have done. The only thing that truly matters is how many people you have been able to bring with you to the top.

It implies that the definition of success has more to do with people and relationships than about any particular measure of conquest (isn’t that a fitting word for the list at the end of the first paragraph?). Helping others be successful requires a win-win strategy, not a win-lose strategy. In the end, I believe that a win-win strategy is the more successful path.

Why is bringing others with you important?  Continue reading →

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There’s only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.

Posted on 18 June 2012 by philosiblog

There’s only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self. – Aldous Huxley

How do you need to improve yourself before you can help improve the world or help improve the lives of others?

What does that mean?
The only thing you can be certain of your ability to change is yourself, or so the quote says. While we may have some influence with others, ultimately, they have the final say in what they chose to do. Similarly, we can build and make and do, but in the end, we have even less control over things.

The bigger the thing, the less control we truly have. We need to admit that we control very little. Even the Captains of Industry only make the big decisions. Those decisions have their impact, but there are lots of others making decisions all the way down the line. They just can’t be certain that their decision improved things.

There are just are just too many variables, too many people, too many opportunities for things to change. The more wonderful and complex it is, the less control you have, the less certainty you have that a change will be an improvement.

The more you can simplify, the more influence you have, the more certainty you can have that your decisions will bring improvements. In life, the simplest, the smallest thing over which you have any control is you. If you make a decision about you, you can have fairly high certainty it will be an improvement, provided that’s the design.

Why is self improvement important?  Continue reading →

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If we are optimistic, take a longer view, and we employ realistic methods, we can contribute to making the world a better place.

Posted on 17 June 2012 by philosiblog

If we are optimistic, take a longer view, and we employ realistic methods, we can contribute to making the world a better place. – Dalai Lama

The sales brochure only tells you the good things. It’s up to you to learn about the making of the batteries, and how many miles they travel before being installed. Short term, a green car, but what is the long term impact? Is it really making the world a better place?

What does that mean?
This quote is all about improving the world in general. To me, that is one of our primary functions as the dominant species on the planet. Yes, it’s nice to gather shiny objects. Yes it’s nice not to have to worry about our next meal or what the weather is like outside. But, to me, the big thing is to help others.

The quote starts by mentioning our attitude. Long time readers know that I consider our attitude to be amount our most important and valuable traits. With a good attitude, we can accomplish a great amount. With a lousy one, we hardly expect to get much done.

The quote then urges us to take a long term view and plan to use realistic methods for our actions. It doesn’t ask you to take a brief moment to beg Space Aliens to come to visit and put an end to war. It asks for a lifetime’s committment to taking small, realistic actions in pursuit of improving the condition of the world.

Why is making the world a better place important?  Continue reading →

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A prudent man should always follow in the path trodden by great men and imitate those who are most excellent.

Posted on 16 June 2012 by philosiblog

A prudent man should always follow in the path trodden by great men and imitate those who are most excellent – Niccolò Machiavelli

Michael Phelps : Follow in his footsteps if you want to swim. If you want to learn how to pose like a fashion model, perhaps you should follow a different path…

What does that mean?
This is another Twitter friendly version of a longer quote. “A prudent man should always follow in the path trodden by great men and imitate those who are most excellent, so that if he does not attain to their greatness, at any rate he will get some tinge of it.”

This is stated for the purpose of encouraging a new Prince to do what the other great rulers have done, even if the reason or ability is beyond them. The idea is to aim for the best, to try to imitate those who have achieved the goals the new Prince desires. In short, to learn from the actions of others.

The theory is that even if you don’t get the exact same result, you will get a better result than if you tried some random action and hoped for the desired result. By following a plan, even if it’s some one else’s plan, you have a fair chance of getting the same result.

Of course you’ll get closer to the same result if you can make as much else the same as possible. However, no one is exactly the same in skills, abilities, and knowledge, and no two situations are exactly the same, so something will always be different. By following a plan that has been successful at least once, we are in a better position than most for getting our desired results.

Why is being a copycat important?  Continue reading →

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A spark of fire helps to give light to the world. Think of this and act. None are too small, too feeble, too poor to be of service.

Posted on 15 June 2012 by philosiblog

A spark of fire helps to give light to the world. Think of this and act. None are too small, too feeble, too poor to be of service. – Hannah Moore

What do you mean, it doesn’t matter? It matters to this one!

What does that mean?
This quote is a central point in my life, as it is all about taking action. This quote reminds us that no act is too small, and that nothing that we do to help others is ever insignificant.

This quote says that every candle we light helps to spread the light across the world. It says that every service helps someone, somewhere, somehow. This quote is all about acting. Acting to help light the world. Acting to be of some service to ourselves or our fellow human beings.

This quote reminds us that no light is too dim, that no action is too small to count. It reminds us that it all adds up, tiny little bit by tiny little bit. It reminds us that we need to do our part to help ensure that things will continue to improve.

Why is taking action important?  Continue reading →

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Sunshine all the time makes a desert.

Posted on 14 June 2012 by philosiblog

Sunshine all the time makes a desert. – Arab Proverb

“So what’s the weather going to be like today?” “Same as always, sunny and hot!”

What does that mean?
This is a fairly straight forward quote. If all you have is sunshine, you’re going to have problems with plants life. Water, in the form of rain, is necessary for them to live. Rain, which comes from clouds, sometimes blot out the sun.

Without water, the plants will die, the dirt will blow away, and all that will be left behind is sand and rocks. While there are desert specific plants, the point of the quote is that there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

The quote implies that we should appreciate the rain, lest we end up living in a desert. Without the shade of clouds, and their rain, the plants will dry out and die, as will all that rely on the plants for food, shelter or shade. The variety is both useful and necessary.

Why is variety in our lives important?  Continue reading →

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It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.

Posted on 13 June 2012 by philosiblog

It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it. – Douglas MacArthur

While this is just play, eventually, there will be real fights, with both pride and The Pride on the line. How far will they go?

What does that mean?
This quote is from one of the great Generals of the last hundred years. His exploits and his motivational speeches, and his ability to analyze a problem are all well known. This quote is a fairly famous one, or at least I have been familiar with it since my youth.

It says that going to war without being willing to do what is necessary to win it is futile, and could cost you everything. This is a problem more with modern liberal democracies, where the civilian population, amplified by the press, holds considerable sway in military decisions.

If you don’t know why you are fighting, what the definition of victory is, nor how you will convert from war to peace on the field of battle, you’re setting yourself up for failure. In war, failure can well be fatal, both for an individual soldier, as well as for a country.

Why is picking your battles important?  Continue reading →

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The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.

Posted on 12 June 2012 by philosiblog

The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it. – Sydney J. Harris

How do you relax? Would a walk on a beach be one way to relieve some stress?

What does that mean?
Boy, do I feel this one today! I have so much to do, and no where near enough time in which to do it. But that’s exactly when you need to slow down and relax. That’s when you most need to take some time from your busy day for yourself.

To relax is to relieve your stress (provided you don’t spend your “relax” time fretting about what you aren’t getting done while you’re relaxing). The time you are most stressed is when you have no time available for you to relax.

It sounds like a Catch-22, doesn’t it? Only if you can’t think outside the box and get creative in your solutions. By “inside the box” I mean putting “relax” on the list, and you get to it when you get to it, if you don’t bump it down a few times, to make room for other, more important things, right?

The quote, however, tells us what we have to do. We need to relax. But how do you do that? For me, I prioritize. Where on the list of things to do does relax fit? If you’re about to boil over, now might be the best time. Find time, make time, reserve the time, and protect the time for relaxing.

Why is prioritizing your time important?  Continue reading →

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I may not be a first-rate composer, but I am a first-class second-rate composer.

Posted on 11 June 2012 by philosiblog

I may not be a first-rate composer, but I am a first-class second-rate composer. – Richard Strauss

How true is this? Are you a first-rate dad, or a first-class second-rate dad? Are you truly world class, or just in the eyes of your kids?

What does that mean?
That’s just a little harsh, but he was judging himself against such greats as the other Strauss family and Wagner, whom were recognized as greats even in their day. For those not familiar with his work, Richard is most well known for the use of Also Sprach Zarathustra for the theme for the movie 2001.

In the quote, I believe him to be acknowledging his limits, and doing so with both dignity and humor. My guess is that this quote was in response to a boorish question asked by a reporter or detractor regarding his status as a first-rate composer.

We can’t all be first-rate everything, and most of us won’t be first-rate anything, at least not on a national or international scale. However, there is plenty of room in the second tier, as is alluded to by the quote. While some could never settle for being anything other than #1 in the world (Donald Trump comes to mind),

How do you handle things when you aren’t the best? That speaks a lot about who you are and what you are made of, about your character, doesn’t it? Some people who have the classic “Type-A” personalities might have a little difficulty with the concept.

Why is honest with yourself important?  Continue reading →

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Warm-heartedness reinforces our self-confidence – giving us not a blind confidence, but a sense of confidence based on reason.

Posted on 10 June 2012 by philosiblog

Warm-heartedness reinforces our self-confidence – giving us not a blind confidence, but a sense of confidence based on reason.– Dalai Lama

Does a hug make you feel a little more warm-hearted and confident? If not, you might want to ask yourself why.

What does that mean?
Warm-heartedness, to me, is a form of self-confidence. It is a statement of having a trust in ourselves that is so great that we are willing and able to go beyond what others might think of as reasonable and prudent (or at least so far outside their comfort zone that they wouldn’t go there).

By being warm-hearted, we have actual, measurable confidence in ourselves. We have a belief in our ability to help others and to be useful. These are skills that don’t rely on any specific ability, but on our willingness to give of ourselves and our willingness to help others. In this manner, our self-confidence is well founded, and not a blind confidence.

Why is being warm-hearted important?  Continue reading →

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The best way to cheer yourself up is to cheer somebody else up.

Posted on 9 June 2012 by philosiblog

The best way to cheer yourself up is to cheer somebody else up. – Mark Twain

Sometimes all it takes to cheer you up are some friends. They can help lift your spirits, especially if they bring some spirits for you to lift, if you know what I mean!

What does that mean?
This is another misattributed quote. I try to be extra cautious when dealing with quotes attributed to Mark Twain, as he is one of the most often attributed people, even when he didn’t say it. In this case, I found a fair number of reputable sites, so I’m not too worried.

This quote seems fairly straight forward. I don’t know about you, but I have found it difficult at times to cheer myself up. Sometimes it can seem extremely difficult to escape the doldrums. Nothing I try seems to work. I guess it’s like tickling yourself. If you know it’s coming, it doesn’t work.

However, the quote suggests a way around that difficulty. You cheer someone else up instead. And it’s hard not to be of good cheer in the presence of others who are in good cheer. In that manner, you help yourself by first helping another. And I would dare say that it applies to more than just getting cheered up.

Why is helping others important?  Continue reading →

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Wisdom consists in being able to distinguish among dangers and make a choice of the least harmful.

Posted on 8 June 2012 by philosiblog

Wisdom consists in being able to distinguish among dangers and make a choice of the least harmful. – Niccolò Machiavelli

Choose wisely, from the incredible selection of foods before you. Failing to choose may result in eating too much. Do you favor the meats or the vegetables? How much room will you save for dessert? Thinking it through (including the consequences of eating the foods you love, but which hate you) is crucial if you are to make a wise decision.

What does that mean?
This may be another fake quote, as I have seen it attributed in many places, but cannot find it in The Prince, where it is alleged to be from. Perhaps it’s just a translation issue, but it’s still and interesting quote.

This says that it is important to be able to first notice and quantify the dangers related to each choice when making a decision. The quote then states that it is then important to be able to distinguish between the differing levels and types of dangers and make a choice.

Not all dangers are created equal. In a particular decision, one option might be dangerous to your health, another option might be dangerous to your wealth, and yet another option might be dangerous to your standing in the community. Which is the most likely, and which are you most willing to risk? The ability to make that choice with diligence, prudence, and rapidity is what this quote calls wisdom

Why is choosing well important?  Continue reading →

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The man who has no imagination has no wings.

Posted on 7 June 2012 by philosiblog

The man who has no imagination has no wings. – Muhammad Ali

A photo from the Smithsonian collection, of the first flight at Kitty Hawk. Their imagination gave them wings. An engine helped get them off the ground and into the history books. Where will your imagination take you?

What does that mean?
To me, this quote is all about possibility. If you can’t imagine it, how are you ever going to actually do it? Imagination is all about seeing the possibilities when all the others can see is are problems. Imagination is needed before you can do great things.

The wings in the quote are all about the action one takes on what they see in their imagination. Once you have imagined something you can get started on making it happen. However, if you can’t imagine something, you’re not going to fly off and start doing it.

I presume the quote means the imagination of something fairly practical, and not too crazy. The problem with that statement is the lack of a common definition of crazy. The idea of a blind guy climbing Mount Everest sounds crazy, but Erik Weihenmayer imagined doing it.

He used his imagine to give him the motivation to take action and attempt (and he succeed). In short, his imagination gave him the wings needed to get from where he was to where he imagined he could be. Where can your imagination take you, if you let it?

Why is imagination important?  Continue reading →

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